The effects of silver nanoparticles synthesized with an aqueous extract of Agrimonia eupatoria L. on winter wheat and barley varieties

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles represent a potential solution for mitigating the negative effects of temperature stress on cereals. This study investigates the impact of silver nanoparticles on winter varieties of wheat and barley during the tillering phase, focusing on proline concentration, antioxidant activity and extract yield under winter field conditions. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using a green method with an aqueous extract of the plant Agrimonia eupatoria L. (fam. Rosaceae). Two winter cereal varieties, Simonida (Triticum aestivum L.) and Nonius (Hordeum vulgare L.), were foliar treated with 5 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL AgNPs-H₂O. The experiment lasted for 10 days, during which the minimum recorded temperature was -7 °C under field conditions. The proline concentration was increased in both varieties treated with nanoparticles compared to the controls. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH method for both treated and untreated samples, with ascorbic acid used as a positive control. Antioxidant activity was increased in all treated samples compared to the untreated samples. Only specific concentrations of AgNPs-H₂O increased the extract yield. Based on these results, our study emphasizes the potential of AgNPs-H₂O to improve the tolerance of winter cereals to low temperatures.